Dare Seize the Fire
by Mysana
Summary: Kakashi never wanted to be Hokage, but he won't let this chance go. Alternative epilogue.


Kakashi is angry about a lot of things. He's angry that his father is still remembered for starting a Shinobi War, for one. Now that he's old enough, Kakashi can tell quite easily that Sakumo was simply in the wrong place, at the wrong time, with the wrong moral code. Although it could have been delayed by a few months, the war had been coming for years. It hadn't been his father's fault.

Kakashi is angry that Obito's clan is dead. Obito and the Uchiha had never gotten on particularly well, but they were still one of the few parts of Obito left. They had been, at least. For all that Obito was too loud and too normal for the Uchiha, Obito had still enjoyed shouting about the Setting Sun festival that the Uchiha hosted internally every year in August. There would never be another Setting Sun festival for Kakashi to watch from the shadows as part of the ANBU security. Kakashi would never get to see Obito's little cousins grow up and do him proud.

Kakashi is angry that he never got the chance to teach Itachi. There was a long tradition in Konoha of genius teaching genius, and Kakashi broke that chain. Some, of course, would say it just made sense because Kakashi was in ANBU and had a terrible reputation anyway. Kakashi hadn't even been aware that Itachi was considered a prodigy until he'd turned up in ANBU one day, assigned to Kakashi's squad. There was very little he could do at that point, though he tried. Being a squad leader and 'taichou' is different from being a jounin sensei though. Hiruzen had never even suggested Kakashi teach him, and that hurt, a bit.

Kakashi is angry that so many ANBU die because medics aren't allowed in. They're considered too valuable, as if the lives of ANBU members aren't. As if it's not even worth teaching to the ANBU members because they're already dead. As if it's worth dozens of lives each year to avoid the time it takes to train a genjutsu user (who tend to have the best chakra control) how to heal a torn artery or dissolve dangerous bone fragments.

Many things make Kakashi angry, but the lack of medics in ANBU make him furious.

* * *

Kakashi never wanted to be Hokage, but he'll be damned if he lets the chance to change things pass him by.

* * *

It starts with Sakura, and Shizune. Sakura had been running the hospitals for the most part, but Kakashi puts Shizune back in charge, for the time being at least. Then he takes Sakura down to the ANBU barracks and introduces her to all of the training and off duty members. Most ANBU live in the barracks because it's easier so Sakura gets to meet over a hundred ANBU that day. When they go back to his office Kakashi explains.

"More than half of the ANBU members you met today will be dead within three years."

The shock, the horror, on Sakura's face soothes some of the raging blue flames within.

"What can I do to help?" Sakura asks, and Kakashi smiles.

* * *

Change takes time. It starts with Sakura teaching shifts of ANBU members first aid - the things they haven't learned through trial and error at the cost of their teammates' lives. It starts with Sakura teaching medical chakra training exercises to ANBU member, Kakashi knows they will practice until they run out of chakra. It starts with Sakura going to the academy and teaching the students about medical ninjutsu and the importance of good chakra control. The children will practice, not like the ANBU out of desperation, but out of admiration. Everyone knows about Sakura of Team 7 and Hokage Tsunade.

Kakashi is looking over the numbers, ANBU deaths are down by 10%, when Sakura asks to join. Kakashi says yes.

He regrets it, sometimes. He regrets it when Sakura comes into his office and her vest is covered in blood and her teammates are dead and her eyes are empty. He regrets it when Naruto comes into his office looking for Sakura, because she's been on missions non-stop for almost a month now. He regrets it when he sees Tsunade, looking so, so scared of losing someone else. (When he stands before the memorial stone, and see the name Sakura. Not his Sakura, but it could be. One day.)

He doesn't regret it when she makes captain and ANBU deaths are down 30%.

* * *

Sasuke comes home, after years away. Now with a scar on his chin and another across his back. With him is a three year old child. Sasuke's three year old child. A little girl. (He doesn't talk about the girl's mother.)

* * *

Naruto starts taking diplomacy missions to prepare for his time as Hokage.

* * *

Kakashi thinks about giving Sai a genin team, before deciding to wait a few years first. He's been hearing interesting things about Sai and Ino though, and spends the rest of the afternoon gossiping with Shizune.

* * *

Sakura comes back from hundreds of missions, almost entirely unharmed, though the diamond on her forehead is often missing. The day she falls unconscious in his office, he puts her on leave. She spends a term teaching at the academy at his request. (She teaches a class of 42 and of the 20 who become genin 15 of them will get medical qualifications.)

When the term is up Sakura is back in his office, asking to return. This time he says no.

* * *

Sakura returns to the hospital, Shizune goes back to making poison and antidotes. Naruto returns from Suna and leaves for Kiri. Sai proposes to Ino and they start to plan a wedding. Sasuke turns up at his office holding his screaming daughter and drops her in his lap.

"I need one night worth of sleep. Just one." He says before disappearing. Kakashi stares at the girl. Michiko if he can remember correctly.

"Daddy is stupid!" She shouts, then looks around, seeming to realise that she is no longer at home. "Who're you?"

"I'm the Hokage," Kakashi says, because he's not quite sure what else to say. Does he still count as Sasuke's sensei? (Sasuke is still technically a genin…)

"Oh. Where's Daddy?"

"He needed to take a nap."

Shizune knocks on the door, and enters before Kakashi has the chance to run away. Shizune looks at the girl, then to Kakashi, then back to the girl.

"Sasuke's?" She asks, unsure because Sasuke has barely left the Uchiha compound since he returned. When he does leave, his daughter stays at home. (Although according to the ANBU following Sasuke, they do go to the local park for 'playtime'.)

"Hi! My name is Uchiha Michiko!" The girl says, and Shizune and Kakashi share a look of amusement that this is Sasuke's daughter. She barely seems related to him with her cheerful attitude.

When Sasuke returns to pick her up six hours later the office is dark and empty and he finds a note on the desk that informs him that they've gone to get ramen. When he arrives at Ichiraku's, Ayame tells him that they already finished eating and said they were heading Kakashi's place. When he goes there he finds Michiko playing with Kakashi's dogs while he sleeps on the couch.

* * *

Sai and Ino get married in a large ceremony with the clan heads, heirs, and various friends and family. Kakashi watches some of it from the trees since he knows Sai will be able to tell he's there. He leaves a gift then goes and spends the rest of the day trying to get rid of the backlog of paperwork that spawned during his hour long absence.

* * *

The day that Naruto is supposed to return to Konoha for a check in and new assignment a toad arrives in his place. It spits out a scroll that succinctly informs Kakashi that Naruto will not be back in Konoha any time soon. He's gotten an invitation to visit Kumo and he's decided to take them up on. Kakashi would be a lot more upset if the toad hadn't also spat out a signed treaty between Konoha and Kiri that promised non-aggression and shared resources in times of need.

There's also a letter for Kakashi about all the interesting things Naruto's friends (read: spy network) have told him about.

* * *

ANBU deaths increase after Sakura's departure, but not by as much as Kakashi had expected.

* * *

The academy graduation age is raised to 15, with minimum graduation age at 12 in exceptional circumstances.

Partly because Kakashi doesn't want to bury kids. Mostly because so much of a genin's skill depends on their jounin-sensei which makes skill sets very imbalanced. He also hopes that covering more in the academy more will allow a shorter turn around time between graduation and reaching chunin. (Most teams aren't like the Rookie 9 after all.) Theoretically a later graduation means they'll be more mature, and won't have to juggle learning so many new skills while taking missions.

Further chakra control training and three genjutsu are added to the curriculum. Starter and advanced strategy, tracking, and first aid classes are added as well. Kakashi also decides to add two more taijutsu forms, but those are taught after school and are not required. Kunoichi class is mandatory for all student.

To graduate students must pass at least three of the five topics of genjutsu, ninjutsu, taijutsu, academic, and specialised.

Academy teachers are also given three addition months of training compared to the six hour course that was previously required. All chunin are encouraged to teach at least one class during their time as an active shinobi.

* * *

Kiba turns up in his office one day and says,

"Naruto's not gonna be Hokage is he?" It takes Kakashi a moment to think about it. He'd always assumed Naruto still wanted to be Hokage. Naruto's not even in Konoha right now though, and it doesn't look like he's coming home soon. Naruto knows that Kakashi wants to pass off the hat as soon as possible.

"I don't think so, no." He says, surprising himself more than Kiba who nods sharply.

"I didn't think so. I wanted to - to be Hokage. Naruto wanted it so badly though, and everyone knows that Team 7 are the ones who become Hokage. But if Naruto's not gonna do it. And there's no way Sasuke could…. Is Sakura going to be Hokage?"

"I think Shizune would kill me if she had to run the hospital forever." Kakashi says instead of answering, he almost shudders at the thought.

"Sai?" They both shudder at the thought. Kiba looks at him, more serious than Kakashi can remember seeing him. "Train me to be Hokage," Kiba says. It's not a question so much as a dare. (Is there anyone better?)

Kakashi considers it. It's not popular to make a clan member Hokage because it's considered a conflict of duty, the only reason old Sarutobi got the job was because Tobirama Senju asked him to. The Inuzuka are a fairly popular clan, and they aren't too big so as to be threatening. They were also known for being loyal above all else. Kiba would never do what Danzo or Orochimaru did.

Kiba was a jounin already, not the first but not the last of the Konoha Twelve to reach it.

"You'd have to do a stint in ANBU," Kakashi warns because he's not ready to say yes, and every Hokage before has entered for at least a few missions. (Kakashi wonders if that has more to do with Tsuande leaving Konoha than her fiancé.)

Kiba grins.

* * *

Michiko starts at the academy. Sasuke turns up in Kakashi's office looking lost less than a month later. Kakashi laughs at first, and sends him to spar with Kiba. But he keeps. coming. back. Kakashi doesn't mind spending time with Sasuke, but it's rather distracting when he keeps looking out the window at the academy and sighing loudly.

"Hokage-sama," Shikaku says during one of their meetings, Sasuke laying on the couch in the corner. "Shizune's kidnapped my son."

"I'm sorry for you loss," Kakashi says, because if Shizune's decided that Shikamaru's hers then Kakashi will catch himself on fire before he sends out a rescue mission. (He tries to avoid sending ANBU on suicide missions when he can help it.) Shikaku rolls his eyes.

"You previous approved of Shikamaru as the next jounin commander."

"Then find someone else." Kakashi dismisses. Shikaku keeps standing there though, as if waiting for something. Kakashi sighs. "Sasuke, you're Shikaku's helper until he decides you or someone else will be his new replacement."

He enjoys the look of dismay on both of their faces.

* * *

Kakashi can barely hold back a smile when ANBU Falcon stands in front of him and asks for three months off. The minimum time required to gain medic-nin qualifications.

* * *

It only takes Kakashi a few days to realise that training Kiba to be Hokage means training Kiba as his heir. Kakashi hadn't thought he'd have an heir to his techniques to be honest. Sakura is Tsunade's heir. Sasuke is Orochimaru's. Naruto is Jiraiya's. Sai is Danzo's. Tenzo is Danzo's. It's not that his students haven't learned from great people. But he hasn't given his father's sword to anyone. He hasn't passed on the dog summon. (He thought, once, it would be Sasuke. Then he thought it might be Sakura. They both found other, better teachers.)

Kakashi summons Pakkun to teach Akamaru when he can. The Inuzuka are good, but they sometimes under utilies their dogs because unlike the Hatake their dogs aren't weapons so much as part of them. Kiba won't take Kakashi's dog summon, he doesn't need it. But Kakashi will give it to Kiba for safe keeping, to give to one of his students. He can't teach Kiba chidori either, because without a sharingan Kiba won't be able to react fast enough. That's not all Kakashi is though.

Kiba's good at tracking and decent at fighting but neither of those are good enough. Oh he's good enough for jounin, but Kage have to be on a different level.

Kiba starts joining Team 7 dinners, where all of Kakashi's adorable students complain about work, and about him.

"He made me climb the Hokage monument. With one arm! Without chakra!" Kiba says, and Sasuke laughs.

"He made me climb a cliff with one arm when I was a genin," Sasuke says, swallowing his sake in one go - like a heathen. Michiko is staying with Ino tonight, apparently she enjoys playing with Sai's son, Inokuma.

"Tsunade-shishou made me do that too." Sakura says, and her face is flushed even with her ability to filter alcohol.

"Works to increase physical strength are a common part of training," Sai adds, watching the others carefully.

Kakashi smiles and enjoys the humming contentment in his chest.

* * *

Naruto sends toads sometimes. There's always a letter for Team 7, as a whole or individually depending on how much time he's had. Often there are notes about his new friends, and sometimes a picture attached.

 _Naruto and Arato Uzumaki_ the label says. There's Naruto and a small, red haired child clinging to his side. The letter inside refers to "We" as often as it does "I".

The haunted look in Naruto's eyes that have lingered since the war are starting to fade.

* * *

Less than a week after ANBU Falcon returns to duty (now a qualified Junior Medic who will be required to spend 5 hours a week at the hospital when not on mission), there's another one. ANBU Boar bows deeply before saying,

"Hokage-sama, I would like to request three months of leave."

"You do realise that taking time to train as a medic-nin only requires permission and then you can still get paid, right?" (Kakashi pretends that's an old rule, not one that was finally approved and put into action less than a month ago.)

"Hokage-sama, I would like to request permission to train as a junior medic-nin while continuing in ANBU." ANBU Boar says with pause. Kakashi sighs because ANBU are no fun these days. They're too used to him.

"Granted."

* * *

Sakura slams the papers down onto his desk. Kakashi looks at them curiously, glancing up briefly to see her face with a determined expression. The papers detail a new underground addition to the hospital for secure care. Designed specifically for ANBU on the right side and prisoners on the left.

"Ino was complaining about prisoner health." Sakura explains, looking a bit embarrassed now. Kakashi nods and looks at them more closely. Normally he'd nominally approve the plans and then set them aside to look at later, but he wants to get this in action as soon as possible.

They're pretty good. They haven't been able to take the electricity or water lines into account because those plans are highly restricted, even to the apprentice of the previous Hokage. He adds in a notation for more lockers and to add a toilet for staff use. Then he approves it.

(It won't go into action yet. Next it'll go to an approved architect and the money will be found in the yearly budget and a plan will be put into place. But within the next five years it should be ready. ANBU won't have to go to the hospital without their mask - something they're rarely willing to do, or have medics sent into the ANBU base - something that takes more than an hour.)

It's progress though. He and Sakura share a smile.

* * *

Kiba improves by leaps about bounds, not because he was weak before, but because he's in a different situation. He's not on a tracking team anymore. He had good stamina, and was good at hiding. Now he's faster and stronger. Akamaru is better at communicating with non-Inuzuka. He starts to learn how to use all elements in ninjutsu.

It's not going to be a fast change, but he is changing.

* * *

At some point Shikamaru started delivering his paperwork. Kakashi's not really sure when. It's just. When he sees Shizune at the market one day he realises he hasn't seen her in ages. She looks better. Less tired.

Shikamaru offers his opinion on some of the work. Much of it Kakashi's already thought of, some of it he hasn't.

* * *

The Konoha Twelve (Eleven? Without Sasuke. Or maybe it's thirteen with Sai? No one's really sure) are famous. In and outside of Konoha. Whenever dignitaries arrive their offended if their guide isn't one of them. Kakashi sees many of them regularly.

Hinata has started to attend on her Father's behalf. She's engaged now, if Kakashi remembers correctly. Not to anyone he knows though. She's a fantastic diplomat, her calm demeanour and kind face make people underestimate her. She's silk hiding steel. He sees her with Sakura from time to time, and she spends some of her free time with Michiko and Inokuma. She wants to be a good mother. (How does he even know this stuff?)

Ino's been head of T&I for ages, and it agrees with her. She looks after Inokuma, but it was Sai who wanted to be a parent. When she does have Inokuma, she can often be seen working with him on her hip as she explains the work he'll inherit. He sees her for regular updates on the traitors and prisoners. (He's glad he never worked in T&I, it's really not his sort of thing.) She seems happy there.

Choji was the first of the Konoha However-Many to become a jounin-sensei, and he seemed far better at it than Kakashi had been in the very least. Asuma would be proud.

Shino had done a stint as an Academy teacher and then… just didn't stop? As far as anyone could tell he signed up on the "one term" academy teaching plan… every term. No one was quite sure how to bring it up. He was the head of his clan now, and really he had better things to be doing in that position. His paperwork was always done and he had his cousin come to meetings in his stead and so… they just left it.

Sai was a dad and only took on mission when he had to (around twice a month). He came to Team 7 meetings and could regularly be seen showing Inokuma around the village. (Kakashi wondered if the reason was so that people would notice if Inokuma disappeared.) He was… better around people than he had been. He still called Sasuke "dick-less" though.

Lee wasn't a jounin-sensei, per say. He did teach half a dozen different brats of various ages taijutsu though. He took a lot of mission and competed with Sakura whenever they both had time. (52-47 in Sakura's favour when Kakashi last heard about it. He's so proud.)

Tenten was in ANBU, and "rocking it" according to reports. (She and Tenzo had… something… Kakashi wasn't willing to ask.)

Hinata visted the memorial stone to say hello to Neji often enough that Kakashi saw her regularly when he went to say hello to Team Minato. Kakashi knew that the caged bird seal wouldn't outlive this generation. In his name.

* * *

When Naruto returned from Konoha it was with three kids on his heel. As much students as his own children. One was an Uzumaki, Arato. Another was an abandoned orphan, Manami. The last, Riko, joined them at some point with no obvious explanation. Kakashi had only been able to sigh and ask,

"Is anyone going to come looking for them?"

As it was, Naruto left the village again less than a year later, still with the three in tow. They were heading towards Uzu, with a stop to see Naruto Bridge along the way. Kakashi felt confident that Naruto's 'friends' insured that Konoha would not be without a spy network between now and however long it took for what's-her-face to be ready. (What was her name again? It always slipped Kakashi's mind.)

* * *

ANBU deaths were down 50% from where they were when Kakashi became Hokage. He was tired. His rage had calmed. Kiba is almost ready.


End file.
